IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! So, in honor of this momentous occasion, I have decided to give you all a gift: a new chapter!!! cue applause

As for dedications, I don't really have a lot of time right now (on account of all the partying and fantastic gifts and whatnot), so I'm going to dedicate this one to all of you who review! I do appreciate my silent readers, but I don't really find them beneficial. Your reviews are what keep me going with this fic so thank you so much!!!

Kind of wimpy, I apologize, but the real dedications will recommence next time. That is, if you review....

Title cred: The Academy Is... "We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands" (I may never be the same after seeing William Beckett's gorgeous stomach two weeks ago...Fall Out Boy concert was AMAZING)
...................................................

Brendon Urie had never been woken up to a death threat before.

But, hey, there's a first time for everything.

"Brendon, I'm going to fucking kill you!"

Spencer threw the door open and Brendon chuckled to himself, remembering how Ryan had slammed the door last night in his heat of passion. Then, he realized something strange.

Ryan was no longer in bed with him.

And then, he knew. His secret was out.

"He left this for Melody, you asshole."

Brendon sat up and stuck out his hand to receive a small crumpled up piece of paper. He opened it and read.

You told me not to blame myself.
So tell him it's his fault that I'm lost
And he's the one who has to pay.

"He's gone, Brendon."

"Yeah, I got that, Spence."

"Don't get that smart ass tone with me."

"Oh, I'm sorry, dad. I wasn't aware that you were in charge of the way I speak."

"Screw you. We wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you! Now, no one knows where the hell Ryan is! What if he's hurt?"

"This isn't my fault! Melody's the one who told him!"

"He was going to find out eventually! You can't keep these kinds of secrets forever!"

"So, we're fucked! That's essentially what's going on here, yeah?"

"No, Brendon, we are not fucked. You and Melody? You're fucked. This is not my problem."

"Your best friend isn't your problem?"

Spencer was getting more frustrated by the second. He could barely stand to be in the same room with Brendon anymore. And then Melody walked in and things got a whole lot worse.

"Don't yell at him, Brendon. I'm the one who told him."

Brendon's eyes widened. Melody had never seen the good-natured boy become so angry.

"You fucking bitch."

"Don't you dare put this on me. This is all your fault. If you would have come clean in the first place..."

"None of this is any of your fucking business!"

"Excuse me?!"

Now, Melody was fuming and the two of them were going at it uncontrollably.

"Whether you like it or not, Brendon, I've been as close to Ryan as two people can possibly get, so don't tell me that this isn't my business. This may have been a scam, but that doesn't mean I don't feel responsible for this and that doesn't mean I wanted to hurt Ryan! He didn't deserve any of this and he didn't deserve to be lied to!"

"We weren't lying, Melody!"

"What do you call pretending to be someone's girlfriend when their fuck buddy is paying you to stay interested?"

"Ryan and I are more than that!"

"Too bad you couldn't admit it. And now, it's too late."

"So that's just it?"

"Yeah, Brendon, that's it!"

"No, that's not it!"

Melody and Brendon had been so focused on their anger towards each other that they had completely forgotten about Spencer's presence in the room. But he was still fuming, and he wasn't going to let the two most selfish people he knew just walk away from the situation that was their own doing. He pulled the set of keys to his rental car out of his pocket and tossed them to Brendon.

"Both of you: Find him. I don't care how long it takes, I don't care where you have to go, just clean up your own mess."

He turned to leave the room, but then he realized there was one more thing he had to say.

"Oh, and Brendon? When you do find him, for God's sake, tell him that you love him. I'm so over this shit."

Then, he left and Melody and Brendon were alone.
...................................................
"You do have an idea where you're going, right?"

"Fuck off."

"How pleasant."

"Do you really think I want to be in this car with you right now?"

"Don't talk about what you want. If you would have just taken what you wanted, we wouldn't be in this mess. I wouldn't even be here."

"That's right. You'd be in a dingy trailer with bad lighting faking an orgasm with a nasty, disgusting manwhore."

"Sounds like Ryan's sex life."

Brendon glared and pushed his sunglasses down so that his eyes were unreadable as he turned back to the road, concentrating on their destination. Melody sighed and stared out the window, remembering how this had all started.
...................
flashback

She stood outside the building, smoking a cigarette, her other hand on her hip, sighing. This was her fourth movie this week and she still wasn't going to be able to make the rent payment next week. She was thinking about how living in a cardboard box would feel when the door behind her opened. She put out the cigarette and made it look as if she had only stepped outside to make a phone call. But when she turned around, she didn't see her director. It was the messy haired rock star she had caught in a clandestine liplock earlier that morning.

"Hey. Melody, right?"

"Bravo, tiger. What was your name again?"

"Brendon."

"Right. How could I forget? I had an ex-boyfriend named Brendon. He used to attack me with his lips like you did to that other boy. I was pretty sure he wasn't going to be able to breathe if I hadn't interrupted you."

"Can I make a confession?"

"Sure. It may surprise you, but I'm great at keeping secrets."

"I think I'm in love with him."

"I don't think you're in love with him, Brendon. Can I be honest with you?"

"Yeah."

"I know you're in love with him and he's blind if he doesn't see it."

"I think he does, I just think he's scared. It's a big deal, you know, being in love with another guy. I mean, it's basically the reason I don't talk to my parents anymore, and why I've really never had any close friends. I need him, Melody."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I want you to help me. I know with some prodding I could get him to tell me that he feels the same. Please, I'd even be willing to pay you. I need you to be his girlfriend. The sneaking around, the guilty fucks...it'll start to get to him. Two weeks tops. I swear."

It was a horrible plan and it could essentially ruin a life. But this boy looked so desperate. Melody knew that if she didn't help him, he might have to suffer in silence forever.

"Okay. Let's do this."

"Really?"

"Sure. It beats the hell out of fake-fucking strangers."

Brendon grinned and Melody smiled back. Ryan Ross was about to be totally and completely fucked.

end flashback...

Brendon pulled into a driveway and took off his sunglasses, turning to Melody, who had begun to doze off. Their journey hadn't been long, but recent events had taken a toll on both of them. They were both ready to finish this for good.